For Keeps
by Jo. R
Summary: Abby and Gibbs deal with the consequences of their undercover assignment. 2-part story.
1. Chapter 1

Title: For Keeps  
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)  
Rating: FR-18  
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs  
Category: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Family, Friendship  
Spoilers: Ex-File, Heartland  
Summary: Abby and Gibbs deal with the aftermath of their undercover assignment.  
Author's Notes: The requested fluffy-smut sequel to Mr & Mrs Gibbs. You don't have to have read that story to follow this one; just know Gibbs & Abby were married so they could pose as newlyweds and, during the course of their assignment, realised their true feelings for one another.

Dedicated to everyone who commented/reviewed/left feedback for Mr & Mrs. Gibbs; I don't think I've ever had a story so well received before and your kind comments helped get me through some stuff I don't want to go into. Thank you.

*****

Soft lips brushed against her stomach lightly. Her lips twitched but she fought the urge to keep her eyes closed, struggling to maintain the pretence of sleep as her husband treated her to a delicious wake-up call. She felt them curve, knew he was smiling, and when his mouth blazed a trail from her bellybutton up to her chest, Abby Sciuto-Gibbs lifted a lazy hand and ran her fingers through her husband's silver hair.

"Don't start anything you're not gonna have time to finish," she warned sleepily, cracking open an eye when he moved up and over her, his body casting hers in shadow as he held himself above her.

"The alarm hasn't gone off yet." Her husband of almost a month, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, pointed out, a wicked grin she was rapidly coming to love on his face. "We've got plenty of time if you're up for it."

Arching an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eyes, Abby wound her arms around his neck and dragged his head down to hers. "Shouldn't that be my line?"

One hot, open mouthed kiss followed another and the couple soon found themselves lost in a world where time and deadlines didn't exist. It was still early days in the physical part of their marriage and though they'd certainly tried making up for lost time while undercover as a pair of newlyweds, they couldn't seem to get enough of each other even though the assignment had ended.

Their marriage was still standing, still legal, though no one but the pair of them knew that for sure. There'd been some whispers around the Navy Yard where they worked, some gossip about the fact they'd both returned from their assignment still wearing the wedding rings that Gibbs had picked out while Abby had gone shopping for her wedding dress with former-Mossad-liaison-Officer-turned-Special-Agent Ziva David.

The change of address form had been submitted to Director Leon Vance by Abby, though he'd either not got to it in the pile of paperwork on his desk or had chosen not to comment on the development. Either that or he'd handed it straight to his secretary without looking at it too closely, telling her to file it with Personnel. That was Abby's theory, given the blond woman seemed to sport a knowing smirk whenever she ran into the couple in the elevators or hallways of NCIS Headquarters.

The agents on Gibbs' team and Doctor Donald 'Ducky' Mallard, their closest friends as well as colleagues, all suspected but not one of them had actually asked out right. Maybe they were respecting their privacy or biding their time until the couple broke the news themselves – that was what Gibbs thought, anyway. Abby suspected it was more to do with none of them being brave enough to risk the head slap to end all head slaps from her husband for interfering.

Her husband.

She smiled at the thought against his hungry mouth, duelling with his questing tongue as her hands ran over his body possessively. Her toes curled in response to the hand that wandered to her breast, expert fingers tweaking her sensitive nipple as she writhed beneath him. Her legs parted, her fingers gliding over the sweat-slickened skin of his back to cup his ass, pressing him closer still.

Gibbs tore his mouth from hers, pausing only a moment to catch his breath before leaving a trail of biting kisses down her throat, nibbling for a few moments at her collarbone before moving lower. She couldn't stop the moan that escaped her – didn't want to, really – when his lips reached their intended target.

He kneaded one breast with his hand while nipping, licking and sucking at the other, tormenting and teasing her relentlessly. She let her head fall back against the pillows, strands of her hair sticking to her damp cheeks as she closed her eyes, moaning softly when he switched his attention to the other breast, lavishing it with the same treatment as its twin.

After a while, Gibbs lifted his head, his grin wolfish as his darkened blue eyes took in the sight of her flushed cheeks and swollen lips. Abby gazed at him, lifting a hand to touch his cheek tenderly, her lips curving into a smile when he leaned his face into her palm, nipping at her skin lightly.

She drew his head back down, hands either side of his face, and tangled her tongue with his while wrapping a leg further around his hips. Taking the hint, Gibbs pressed his hips against hers, slipping a hand between their bodies to check she was ready before easing himself inside her.

For a moment, they were both still, savouring the sensation of being joined. His hand moved slightly, his finger making a pass at the throbbing bundle of nerves at the junction of her legs. Abby's eyes fluttered shut, a soft purr escaping her.

Slowly at first, he began to move above her. She pulled him against her, arms tightening like a vice around him, her sensitised chest pressed against his as they moved together. Their mouths clashed, lips, teeth and tongues taking as much as they were giving as they strove to satisfy the delicious tension coiling in their bodies.

Twisting her hips, tearing her mouth away with a whimper of frustration, Abby's nails dug into the flesh of his butt, needing him closer still. Gibbs chuckled breathlessly against her collarbone where he'd been busily marking her as his, unafraid to use his teeth and lips, knowing there was a scarf or two tucked away in the drawer of the dresser they'd moved over from her apartment she could use to hide any marks left behind. He slid his hand between their joint bodies again, pressing his thumb and finger against her clit in a tempo he knew would drive her crazy.

"Jethro..." His name was a moan, a hoarse cry dragged from her throat. She twisted and writhed beneath him; she couldn't get enough but couldn't take anymore, her heart pounding in the same heady rhythm as his own.

After several long impossible moments, her body tensed beneath his. She arched her back, a hiss escaping her as she pressed her head into the pillows strewn behind her. One final pass of his hand and she shattered, splintering apart, her inner muscles tightening around him, pushing him to the brink and over it.

Spent and undeniably satisfied, Gibbs collapsed against her, breathing heavily against her skin. He inhaled deeply, his forehead against her neck, the scent of her and him and them slowly easing him back to reality.

Her arms tightened when he tried to roll off her and he lifted his head, matching her contented smile with a grin of his own.

"We'll be late for work if you don't let me go." He pushed himself up so he could kiss her, enjoying the now familiar ache in his body that followed a lovemaking session with his wife.

Abby smirked, her lips curving up against his. "I told you not to start something you couldn't finish."

"I finished it, didn't I?" Gibbs pulled back, arching an eyebrow as he gazed down at her. "You seemed to enjoy yourself at any rate."

A small giggle escaped her at the look on his face and she wound her arms around him again, hugging him tightly. Reluctantly, she let him roll over, following him so she could brush a brief kiss on his chest just over his heart before she slid out of his arms, padding across the room to the door of the en-suite bathroom, clearly unabashed by her nudity.

"If we're gonna be on time, we should probably share a shower," she suggested with an all-too-innocent smile from the doorway. "Then maybe we can finish things again..."

Gibbs watched her go, a grin toying with his lips. His heart felt light, his spirits high. He never thought he'd marry again; losing one wife and divorcing three others had taken its toll on his belief on all things romantic, not to mention one failed relationship after another. But then Abby had come along, and the case that had required them to be married.

A case that had ended in death for some but a new lease of life for his heart.

*****

Nothing much had changed at work. They were still exactly the same around one another, perhaps sharing a few more smiles and lingering looks than usual but there was nothing unprofessional about their behaviour.

Abby was still Gibbs' favourite but then she always had been; that was a given as far as everyone who worked there was concerned, just one of the many unwritten rules of one Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

Gibbs still brought her Caf-Pows to reward her efforts in helping close cases, still got a little impatient sometimes when she insisted on drawing out her reveals. It was more of a game than anything else, more of a comfortable routine that neither saw any need in changing because of a piece of paper that said they were man and a wife or the matching rings they both wore with pride.

It was the week before Christmas that Director Vance decided to temporarily assign another agent to Gibbs' team, one whose role was to help support the team in the busy run up to the festive period. At first, it was Gibbs who had the problem with it; he liked to chose his own agents and he believed his team worked well enough with just the three plus him it had.

After meeting the new agent, Abby was in complete agreement.

Lieutenant Colonel Hollis Mann wasn't the stranger they were expecting. In Abby's eyes, she was a thousand times worse.

It wasn't that she was jealous of the other – older – woman. Abby got to go home with Gibbs at the end of the day; she wore his ring and had his heart, of that she was sure. It was the fact that his ex-girlfriend, an ex who was still evidently interested in him, got to spend day in, day out with her husband, blissfully unaware of the fact he was legally and emotionally attached to someone else.

For the first time since returning back to their real lives, Abby found herself wishing they could be as open about their relationship as they had been when they'd been trying to convince a killer they were happily married newlyweds.

Gibbs wasn't as oblivious as she almost expected him to be and took it upon himself to reassure her at every available opportunity that his interests lay firmly with her – and no one else.

He glanced around her lab as he entered, checking what he already knew – that his wife was alone – before crossing the room towards her. Mindful of the security cameras recording their every move, he let his hands rest against the workbench either side of her, grinning to himself when she jumped.

"I thought we talked about the sneaking up on me thing," Abby murmured. She turned her head and leaned her body back slightly, maximising the physical contact between them while not making it too obvious. "And we talked about not doing this at work, too."

"Not doing what?" The innocent note in his voice didn't go unnoticed, nor did it go believed. "I'm just standing here asking you about the case."

"Oh, really?" Abby's eyebrow quirked and she tilted her head back a little further. "Then why haven't you asked if I've identified the prints you found at the scene or found a model that matches the bullet Ducky found in our victim?"

Gibbs moved one hand, confident his body blocked the cameras from picking up on it as he let it rest against her hip. His fingers slipped under the waistband of her jeans, stroking the smooth skin beneath the black denim. "I was just about to do that."

A low noise escaped her, a cross between a purr and a mew of protest when he moved his hand. "Maybe I could demonstrate how the bullet got to be so mashed up, hmm?"

Thinking of the ballistics room, the only part in her lab free from security cameras and able to be soundproofed by easily closing the door, Gibbs smirked. "I like demonstrations."

She gave him a look but held her tongue, leading him through the main room of her lab, through her office, to the small room tucked away at the back. She set up the demonstration, stood at the front of the machine with the gun in her hands, resting on its stand, and looked at him expectantly when he shut the door behind them.

"Your stance is wrong," Gibbs murmured, taking advantage of the situation to move behind her again, pressing his body against hers. He covered one of her hands with his own and pretended not to notice the slight tremor in both of them and let the other rest on her hip again. For a few moments, he merely flexed his fingers before tugging her against him a little more securely. "You should bend your knees a little. Don't keep your feet too close together or your balance will be off."

She did as he told, a slight gasp escaping her when he automatically slid a leg between hers. Rocking a little, Abby let her head fall back against his shoulder. "Anyone could walk in and see us, Gibbs."

"All they'll see is you getting a demonstration on how to correctly fire a gun." He dipped his head, his tongue darting out to lick the spider web tattoo on the side of her neck. "Nothing wrong with that, Abs."

Her husky chuckle ended in a moan, his teeth joining his tongue in running over her inked skin. "You've never complained about my ability to fire one before." She let one of her hands leave the gun, slipping it around and between their bodies to touch him through the thin material of his pants, smiling to herself the quick intake of breath.

Setting the gun down on the tray beside the machine, she turned fully in his arms. Lifting her face to his, Abby opened her mouth instantly, teeth and tongues clashing as they both fought for control of the kiss. He crushed her to him, spinning them, pressing her against the wall next to the door so that anyone glancing through the window couldn't see them, his leg pressed between hers as they kissed hungrily.

His hand moved between them, popping the button of her jeans and lowering the zipper deftly. Abby moaned when his fingers touched her, tearing her mouth away from his with a gasp of surprise.

"What happened to the no kinky stuff at work rule?" She asked somewhat breathlessly, her head falling back to allow him better access to her neck.

His lips curved against her neck, his grin growing wider at the soft mew that escaped her as his fingers teased her. "Every rule should be broken at least once. Can't remember who told me that."

"Hmm, I wonder." She shifted impatiently, her own trembling fingers getting to work on the zipper of his pants. "I'm not complaining, though."

"Didn't think you were." A hiss escaped him as he slid home, his lips pressed against her neck. "Love you, Abs."

"Love you more," Abby gasped. She wrapped her legs around his hips when he urged her to move, her head hitting the wall with a thud she didn't feel when the action pushed him deeper into her. "God!"

Gibbs' chuckle was husky, his teeth nipping her neck as he moved, "Nope, just me."

They moved together, with Abby meeting each of his thrusts with energy and enthusiasm. It didn't take long for either of them to peak, both doing their best to muffle their cries despite knowing they were in a soundproofed room.

Gradually coming back down to earth, they exchanged lazy smiles, reluctantly letting the other go so they could readjust and straighten their clothes.

"Anytime you decide to break the rules, let me know," Abby murmured, wrapping her arms around him in a loose hug, her head nestled on his shoulder.

A small grin on his face, Gibbs brushed his lips against the top of her head. "You'll be the first." He lingered for a few moments before pulling away with a sigh. "Call me when you've got something."

She smiled up at him, her cheeks still flushed. "I always do."

*****

The Gibbs household had changed quite a lot since Abby had moved in. The living room was no longer a sparsely decorated throw-back to an earlier decade but a comfortable space where they could both relax. Gone were the mismatching chairs and sofa with springs sticking out – Gibbs didn't miss them, either – replaced by the plush black couch with the forest-green cushions and black velvet throw they'd bought together for their house on the base, along with a matching armchair big enough to sit two regularly.

Abby's mahogany furniture – two gothic-style cabinets she'd brought to Washington DC all the way from New Orleans when she'd first moved there – fitted perfectly in the two alcoves of Gibbs' living room either side of his fireplace. In front of the fireplace was the rug she'd persuaded him they needed for their fake home on the base and above the fireplace was the ornate mirror from her apartment she'd always suspected would look perfect in Gibbs' home.

The walls had been painted, the centre wall against the fireplace a deep forest green to pick up on the colour in the cushions while the other walls had been painted a warm, complimentary cream-colour. The floorboards remained the same though Gibbs had plans to plain them down and re-varnish them in a colour that would match the furniture Abby obviously adored.

The whole house felt more like a home, something Gibbs had to admit it hadn't been since the death of his first wife and child. He'd moved his old bed into the spare room and they'd bought a new one together, choosing a beautifully carved wooden bed that suited her traditional yet gothic sensibilities while appealing to his practical, natural side.

His basement was still his domain and Abby respected that, letting him have time to himself in his own personal space when she sensed he needed it. Her coffin had been moved into the spare room next to his old bed – disguised to look like an unusually shaped dresser when not in use – and she still viewed it as her sanctuary from the rest of the world. Most of the time she used it alone but she had, on occasion, persuaded her husband to lie in the enclosed darkness with her.

In the build-up to Christmas, Abby had wanted to decorate with as many festive, sparkly things as she could find but held herself back. She knew Christmas was a difficult time for Gibbs, knew it brought back memories of Shannon and Kelly, and she resigned herself to a quiet Christmas without any fuss for his sake.

Two days after Hollis Mann's temporary assignment to the team, Abby lay curled up in the arm chair, the latest issue of the forensic journal she followed in her lap. She could hear Gibbs moving around in the basement, no doubt working on the new boat he'd started to build when they'd returned. It was soothing to hear him, to know he was just a short distance away.

She'd grown up in a household with two deaf parents and a little brother who'd at first been afraid to speak aloud and, as a result of that, for so long she'd hated the thought of living in silence. She still played her music at deafening volumes in her lab where she could get away with it but at home, she'd surprised herself to realise she enjoyed the peace and quiet of it all, that she loved behind able to hear him no matter which part of the house he was in.

When she heard his footsteps on the stairs leading up from the basement, she smiled to herself but thought nothing of it. She figured he was coming up for a bathroom or caffeine break and kept her gaze fixed on her magazine, engrossed in an article about the latest microscope to come on the market.

"You wanna get changed, Abs? It's cold out." Only when he spoke from directly behind her, his voice close to her ear as he leaned against the back of her chair, did Abby realise he hadn't bypassed the living room in favour of the kitchen or bathroom. She tilted her head back, frowning when she noticed he'd pulled on his red fleece and gloves.

"Are we going somewhere?" Setting the journal aside, she smiled when he leaned down and pressed his lips against her forehead.

Gibbs smiled as he straightened, taking her hand and pulling her up out of the chair. "We need a tree," he told her matter-of-factly. At the startled look on her face, his smile grew wider. "I didn't spend two nights makin' a Christmas tree stand for nothin'."

"You made a tree stand? That's what you've been doing?" She searched his face for any sign that he wasn't comfortable with what he was suggesting, throwing her arms around him when she saw nothing to suggest that was indeed the case. "Gibbs! I thought we were gonna have a quiet Christmas."

"We can have a quiet Christmas with all of the trimmings." He drew back to kiss her nose gently. "I know you love Christmas."

"And I know you don't." She tilted her head to the side, studying him again. "Are you sure...?"

"I'm sure." Kissing her again, this time on the lips, Gibbs smiled at the concern he saw on her face. "It's our first Christmas, Abs. I want you to enjoy it."

Something inside her both warmed and softened and she found herself blinking back tears. "As long as I get to spend it with you, I will."

He waited while she wrapped herself up in her favourite skull-print scarf and long black coat, biting back a smile when she muttered to herself as she bent over to fasten her boots. She grabbed her black gloves and let him lead her to her car, both knowing it was far more likely they'd fit their chosen tree into the back of the hearse than the Challenger.

Gibbs drove as Abby sat beside him, bouncing in her seat in anticipation. Any doubts he might've had about celebrating Christmas openly with her were erased by the pure joy on her face and the love in her eyes whenever she glanced over at him.

The lot was busy when they got there, with families and couples milling around all trying to find the perfect tree. A pang hit him when he saw a little girl pointing out a big Spruce to her doting father but the pain faded as Abby's hand slipped inside his, replaced by a memory of carrying his little girl on his shoulders while she tried to spot the tree she wanted above everyone else's heads.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Abby asked quietly, her green eyes sombre. "We could get one of those artificial ones. It'd be more environmentally friendly..."

"You prefer real trees," he pointed out, taking her hand and resting it in the crook of his arm. "I remember you telling me the smell reminds you of your childhood. Besides, I can always find a use for the timbre when we're done with it."

She rewarded him with a smile though the concern didn't fade entirely from her face. "Did you have a real tree with Shannon and Kelly?"

He swallowed the lump in his throat, and fought the automatic urge to shy away from the subject. She was his best friend, his lover and his wife and he couldn't expect her to stick around if he couldn't share every aspect of his life, past and present, with her. While he knew Abby well enough to know she would never pry if he was uncomfortable, he also loved her enough to want to give her everything he was. "We did that last year. Shannon was wary about having so many pine needles around but when Kelly was old enough to realise the difference, she insisted we have a real tree. Wanted to name it, too. She cried when we said we couldn't keep it after Christmas so Shannon went out and bought the one in back yard as a present."

"That's so sweet." Abby's eyes shone and she squeezed his arm tightly. "What did she name it? The one in the yard? We'll have to get some decorations for it, too. Maybe some lights, too."

"She called it Pippa. Pippa the Pine." He smiled at the memory, one of the last he had of his family. "We'll get some outdoor lights for her. Maybe a star for the top." He kissed her temple and led her towards the rows of trees. "Now we need to pick our tree."

"Our tree." Abby's smile was infection, her body practically humming with excitement. "Can we name him, too?"

*****

_Part 2/2 coming to a screen near you soon..._


	2. Chapter 2

*****

The tree they brought home wasn't the biggest or widest. He was surprised that she'd walked past the ones he was sure he'd have to try and manoeuvre into the car, having convinced himself that she would have chosen the grandest tree to sit in their living room in all its glory.

She didn't and, in hindsight, he realised he should have guessed.

The tree they had, a tree she called 'Toby', was tall but not too tall and it was slender – verging on scrawny if he was honest. They'd watched it be ignored by family after family, too pathetic to be anyone's ideal of a perfect Christmas tree.

Anyone but Abby, anyway.

It looked a little pathetic in the tree stand he'd made but Abby soon fixed that, lavishing it with love and affection and enthusiasm as she instructed him on where to put the baubles and tinsel and how to arrange the lights to show off their tree to the best of their ability. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as they fixed the last bauble on the tree – one they'd bought together, symbolising their first Christmas as a couple, the beginning of a new tradition.

"You're an amazing woman, Abby Scutio," Gibbs murmured against her lips later that evening, lowering her to the rug in front of the burning fire.

"Gibbs," Abby gasped, her eyes locked with his as they shed the last of their clothes. "Abby Sciuto-Gibbs."

His lips curved up, his eyes molten blue. "Mrs. Gibbs," he repeated softly.

Their lovemaking was slow and tender, their bodies shrouded in shadows cast by the flickering flames. They fell asleep entwined with one another, the black velvet throw serving its purpose to ward off the winter chill even as the fire dwindled.

*****

The sound of the front door being opened and closed caused him to stir. Gibbs tightened his arms around Abby, his senses on full alert when he hadn't locked the front door behind them. It'd been common practise to do so after Abby had moved into his home but old habits were hard to break and he'd become accustomed to leaving his house open to whomever wished to visit during his bachelor years.

He shifted his lover, positioning himself so he was between her and their visitor, adrenaline coursing through his veins even as he realised he had nothing to defend them with should it become necessary.

When the intruder walked into the living room, Gibbs wasn't sure which of them was most surprised: himself, or his ex.

"This... is a surprise," Hollis Mann managed, her eyes narrowing briefly as they focused on the black haired woman mostly obscured by Gibbs himself. "Abby, Jethro? Really?"

His eyes hardening, Gibbs ran a hand over Abby's hip when he felt her stir. "Haven't you heard of knocking, Hollis?"

The Lieutenant Colonel ran a hand through her blond hair – nicely styled, which teamed with the outfit and make-up she wore suggested she'd been planning a fire-side rendezvous of her own. "It was never needed in the past."

"We're not in the past now." He sat up, careful to keep himself and Abby covered. He glanced at his wife and realised she was awake even though she was pretending otherwise. "Was there something you wanted, Hollis? Something that can't wait till tomorrow?"

Hollis hesitated, her eyes narrowing once more. She shook her head. "Do you think it's fair playing her like this, Jethro? I know Christmas can be a lonely time and I sympathise with what you've been through but I thought you cared more about Abby than to use her like this. She's supposed to be your friend."

"She's not my friend," Gibbs replied calmly. He held Hollis' gaze and reached for Abby's hand. "She's my wife."

There was a moment of stunned silence.

"Wife? You're married?" The expression on her face would have amused him if not for the complete stillness of the woman lying next to him. "You married *her*?"

"Hollis." The edge in his voice was warning enough. Gibbs wished he could get to his feet and usher her out of the house, locking the door behind her. "Leave."

"Don't worry, I'm going." The blond he'd once thought he could love turned on her heel, hesitating to throw him a hurt look over her shoulder. "I hope you're happy, Jethro. And I hope for Abby's sake you can commit to her more than you did to your last three wives."

The door slammed behind her. Gibbs turned to look down at Abby, gazing down into her wide green eyes. "You okay?"

"Should I be asking you that?" She sat up, holding the throw against her chest more for warmth than out of a sense of modesty. "She looked upset. I think she really loved you, Jethro."

"Maybe." He shrugged his shoulders and drew her into her arms, resting his cheek against the top of her head when she nestled against his chest. "But I really love you."

"And I, you." She sighed softly, lips brushing his chest. "Don't be too hard on her at work tomorrow, no matter what she says or does. She's hurt and she's angry. Can't say I blame her, either." She lifted her head to look at him, her eyes sparkling a little. "If I had you, then lost you, it wouldn't be pretty, either."

He ran a hand through her tousled hair, tangling his fingers in her dark locks to hold her steady as he leaned in to kiss her fiercely. "You'll never lose me, Abs. Never."

He lowered her to the rug once more, covering her body with his own. He explored and adored her, cherishing every part of her, proving with gestures that he meant every word.

*****

It came as no surprise to either of them that Hollis left a few days after her untimely interruption. She said nothing about what she'd seen and treated both Gibbs and Abby with cool politeness until her departure, keeping her pride intact.

Abby found herself feeling sorry for the other woman, and hoped the former Army officer found the happiness she herself had.

With a folder in her hands, she made her way from her lab to the squad room, a bounce in her step. Christmas was only a few days away and she was determined to make it as good as it could be for herself and her husband, the first of what she hoped was many together. He'd said yes when she asked if they could have the team over on Christmas Day, knowing as well as she did that most of them had nowhere else to go. Christmas Eve, however, would be all theirs.

Or so they thought.

Her favourite agents were absent from their desks when she made it upstairs. Sighing to herself, wondering where they'd been dragged to, she made herself comfortable at Gibbs' desk and reached for a pen to doodle a note to her husband. When the elevator pinged to announce someone had arrived at the floor, she automatically looked up and over, hoping to see her favourite silver-haired fox and his team.

A genuine smile of pleasure spread across her face, however, at the sight of her second favourite silver-haired fox and she stood to welcome the newcomer in a bone-crushing hug.

"Jackson! Does Gibbs know you're here? Of course he doesn't, he'd have told me. Well, he better have told me. I'd be mad if he didn't. But you're here! And it's so good that you're here because it's Christmas and where else should you be but here!"

Jackson Gibbs, father to one Leroy Jethro Gibbs, beamed at her when she took a step back. "If I'd known I'd get such a warm welcome from such a beautiful woman, I'd have made the effort years ago." He glanced around at the empty desks. "Leroy isn't here?"

"No." She shook her head and grabbed his arm. "I don't know where they've gone but they'll be back soon. I was just leaving him a note." She darted to the desk, scribbled something else on the end of her message, and returned to his side almost before he'd realised she was gone. "You can come and see my lab if you want? And I can introduce you to Ducky? You'd really like him. He's got some great stories and he's one of Gibbs' best friends so you two should really meet."

"That sounds good," Jackson smiled at her and offered her his arm again. "I know I should've called to let Leroy know I was coming but I thought he might try to talk me out of it."

"He'd try but he wouldn't succeed." Abby gave him a winning, almost secretive smile. "I wouldn't let him. Christmas is for family and you're family so you should be here."

"That's what I thought." He gave her a grateful smile and let her lead him towards the far elevators, where his tour of NCIS would begin.

*****

When Gibbs and his team returned to NCIS Headquarters after another gruelling crime scene, Gibbs had been ready to send the evidence down to Abby with McGee or DiNozzo, planning on getting stuck into the tedious legwork himself. That changed, however, when he saw the note on his desk.

Grabbing the bags of evidence from a surprised McGee, Gibbs chose to take the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator to give him the benefit of surprise. He kept his footsteps quiet as he approached the open door of the lab, a small grin on his lips when he heard Abby's familiar laughter float towards him.

"It's good to know he wasn't always so serious," he heard her saying through her giggles. "But you'll have to send me pictures. No way is anyone going to believe our Gibbs went through a punk phase."

"I'll get you copies, I promise. " He could hear the note of mischief in his father's voice, and the genuine fondness, too. "Now you tell me more about these boats of his. You said he's made four?"

"So far." The pride in her voice was unmistakable. "He only uses hand tools, too."

Before she could interject with a comment about how good he was with his hands – and he knew Abby well enough to know that was what she was thinking – Gibbs strode into the room, his expression carefully neutral when they both turned to look at him.

His wife and his father, Gibbs thought with a smile he only just managed to keep off his face. His family.

"Jack." He greeted his father with a nod, stopping a few feet away.

"Leroy." His father nodded at him, his hands in his pockets.

Abby rolled her eyes and sighed. She stood between the two of them with her hands on her hips, glaring at them both. "That's no way to greet your father, Jethro," she told him with the arch of an eyebrow. "And I'd expected better of you, Jackson." Taking a step back, her hands rose from her hips to wave the two of them together. "At least say hello properly."

Gibbs rolled his eyes at her as his father smiled. They took a step forward at the same time, sharing a manly embrace and pat on the back that made Abby smile and clap her hands together in satisfaction.

"Good." Obviously pleased, Abby hooked her arm through Gibbs' own. "Your Dad's staying with us for Christmas," she announced matter-of-factly, giving him a look that dared him to argue.

"With 'us'?" Jackson repeated, his turn to arch an eyebrow. "Is there something you meant to tell me, Abby?"

With a bright smile and a meaningful look at her husband, Abby reached around Gibbs to grab the evidence he'd brought with him. "I better get processing this. My boss can be a real bear if he doesn't get answers quick. Why don't you two boys go for coffee, hmm? I'm sure you've got some catching up to do!"

She skipped away into the inner office of her lab before they could comment, the door sliding shut behind her. Gibbs shook his head in amusement, an affectionate look on his face.

Jackson Gibbs looked at his only son and arched an eyebrow. "How about that coffee?"

*****

They spent Christmas Eve together as a family. Jackson was able to observe the couple together and was happy with what he saw; the sight of his son so happy and so obviously in love did wonders for his weary heart, though he found himself missing his wife and wishing she could have met the special lady in their son's life.

He bid the couple a fond goodnight just before midnight, chuckling to himself as he left them arguing over whether Abby got to open one of her Christmas presents at one minute past twelve or if she had to wait until morning like everyone else.

When the couple eventually retired to their bedroom an hour later, Jackson was mostly asleep, content in the knowledge that his little boy – a child no more – was no longer alone.

*****

She bit her lip to keep back her giggles as they tiptoed passed Jackson's room, her hand wrapped securely in Gibbs' own. The wine she'd drank coupled with the knowledge she had her favourite people to herself for a few days thanks to them having closed their current case just hours before made her giddy.

Once their bedroom door was closed securely behind them, she turned to her husband and smiled mischievously, causing him to arch an eyebrow in question.

"How quiet do you think you can be, Agent Gibbs?" She whispered, her hips swaying deliberately as she walked him backwards with a hand against his chest. She smirked when his legs hit the edge of the bed, pushing just a little bit harder so he fell onto it. Straddling his hips, smiling when his hands came to rest at her waist, Abby gave him an open mouthed kiss, pulling back just as he began to respond. "My turn tonight," she murmured, shifting back on his legs to pull up the sweater he was wearing.

"Abs..." His voice trailed off as she pulled the sweatshirt over his head, throwing it behind them. He drew a quick intake of breath as the cool air hit his already heated skin. "My Dad's just down the hall."

"I know." With a smile that was undeniably wicked, Abby dropped her hand to caress his erection through his jeans, a low purr escaping her when he thrust automatically towards her hand. "That's why you should be very, very quiet."

She pushed him back by her hands on his shoulders, leaning over him to kiss him hungrily before drawing back, trailing her nails over his bare chest. She leaned down to take one nipple into her mouth, suckling and biting gently, grinning against his flesh when he lifted a hand to his mouth to stifle his moans. Turning her attention to the other nipple, she rocked her hips gently against him, satisfied when he groaned.

Shifting lower down his body, she popped open the button of his jeans, holding his gaze as she slowly lowered the zipper and slid her hand inside his boxers. His breathing became laboured, his breathing heavy, and Abby smiled at his flushed cheeks and dilated pupils.

She stroked him slowly, trailing her fingernails ever so gently along his length, feeling him thicken and harden against her palm. Shifting again, she drew his pants down, smiling when he lifted his hips to assist her, making short work of getting rid of his jeans and boxers.

Abby stood before him and took her time in shedding her own clothes. She lifted her top slowly, throwing it to the side, her skin tingling with the weight of his heated gaze. Her hands rose to the fastening of her bra and she undid it slowly, sliding the straps down her arms as though she had all the time in the world, enjoying the look of hunger on his face, the way he licked his dry lips.

Turning her focus to the removal of her short skirt, she pushed the material down and over her hips slowly, making sure she had his full attention. Her panties came next and she noted with pleasure how his eyes tracked the slip of lace and silk as they slipped down her legs and pooled on the floor at her feet.

Her pigtails were next and she pulled each elastic band out, running her fingers through her hair, knowing he preferred it when it was loose and wild around her shoulders.

With both of them completely naked, Abby sat on the bed between his legs, her black hair tumbling over her face as she lowered her head. She licked her way along his length, holding his hips steady with an arm, determined to draw the moment out as long as she could for them both. Taking her time, she licked and sucked gently, one hand caressing the base of his cock before moving to massage his balls as she took him fully into her mouth, bobbing her head up and down, taking as much of him into her throat as she could. She hummed lightly, her lips tightening around him in a smile when his hands grasped the bed sheets, fisting the material as he tried to keep his moans to a minimum.

Only when she felt him thrust into her mouth did she draw away, knowing if she left it too long, she wouldn't get to have him where she wanted him the most.

Straddling his hips once more, Abby stared down at him as he looked up at her, green eyes meeting blue as she lowered herself onto his length, guiding him inside her slowly. She took him into her then rose, so the head of his erection was only just brushing her folds before lowering herself again, twisting her hips to take him to the hilt.

She rode him slowly at first, her pace quickening as he lifted his hips, thrusting into her as she ground herself against him. She moved a hand between them, throwing her head back as the combination of sensations threatened to send her over the edge. Gibbs' hips bucked as her inner muscles clenched around him, reaching blindly for her, drawing her down into a hot, harsh kiss as he found his release, muffling his cries in her mouth as Abby collapsed above him.

Their bodies melded, sated and fluid, and they collapsed into one another as the world spinning around them slowed to a gradual halt.

"That," Gibbs gasped, cradling her still trembling form against him, "was incredible."

"Hmmm." Nuzzling his chest, Abby smiled drowsily. "Happy Christmas, Jethro."

"Happy Christmas, Abs."

*****

The following morning saw the house filled with all of Abby's favourite people. She greeted the team, smiling at their surprise when they saw the newly decorated house, at the speculative glances they threw at both her and Gibbs.

It was only when the last of the food had been eaten and every present under the tree had been opened that Abby curled up into Gibbs' lap on the arm chair next to the fire, ignoring the looks and smirks of the people present.

She tilted her head back, a smile on her face as she eyed the mistletoe she'd convinced him to hang above the chair earlier in the day.

Gibbs, for his part, merely wrapped his arms around her, conscious of the fact their friends and family were watching, unable to find it in himself to care.

"Are you having a good time?" He asked quietly, his gaze searching hers as she gazed at him lovingly.

"The best," Abby declared sincerely, taking a moment to look around the room at their friends before returning her attention to her husband.

He lifted a palm to her face, cupping her cheek and running a finger tenderly over her cheekbone. "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Gibbs."

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Gibbs." She tilted her head to accept the kiss he bestowed upon her lips, smiling into it as they finally let their nearest and dearest in on their secret and into the new chapter in their lives.

She was the latest in a line of Mrs. Gibbs', and she was determined to be the last. Their marriage wasn't just for show, wasn't just for an assignment.

Their marriage was definitely for keeps.

*****

Finis.


End file.
